Cephalosporin-type compounds belong to a well-known family of antibiotics that have been widely used in recent years for the treatment of various infectious diseases. A number of useful cephalosporins have been obtained by varying the substitution at the 3-position of the cephalosporin nucleus and by modifying the side-chain at the 7-position of the cephalosporin nucleus. The search continues, however, for new compounds having a high order of activity.
In an effort to improve and expand upon the properties of existing compounds, efforts have been directed towards the insertion of new moieties into the side chain of the cephalosporin molecule, located at the 7-position of the cephalosporin nucleus. We have discovered that the preparation of cephalosporin derivatives having a 1,3-dithiolan-2-imino group at the terminal end of the side chain produces compounds that are extremely useful antibacterial agents. More particularly, the preparation of cephalosporanic acid derivatives having an .omega.-(1,3-dithiolan-2-imino) moiety substituted at the terminal end of the side chain provides novel cephalosporin derivatives active against one or more gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms. The compounds of this invention are therapeutically effective in the treatment of infectious diseases due to such gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in poultry and in mammals including man. These compounds are also useful in topical germicidal preparations or as surface disinfectants.